


Green Is for Rebirth

by ReptilianApathy



Category: League of Legends
Genre: Character Study, F/M, Institute of War, Introspection, Mutual Pining, Not Canon Compliant, Personal Growth, Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-31
Updated: 2019-03-31
Packaged: 2019-12-27 01:37:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,290
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18294215
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ReptilianApathy/pseuds/ReptilianApathy
Summary: As Zyra struggles with limitations of her newfound humanity, she also learns about its more interesting aspects.





	Green Is for Rebirth

**Author's Note:**

> I know this ship is hardly possible, but I feel like there’s a need for more content featuring Varus and Zyra, together or individually.

Zyra snuck out of the hall into an adjacent garden. She preferred to stay near even the smallest semblance of her natural environment. A wooden bench was not exactly her tree bough throne, though it would have to do. As reclusive as she was, she managed to meet somebody she could relate to: Elise wasn’t really fond of social interaction, either. Contrary to Zyra, the spider queen used to be human, so she introduced the former to nuances governing people’s everyday life and explained League of Legends to her.

Initially Zyra didn’t know why the League had contacted her. Nevertheless, it quickly became apparent that they had wanted to keep her under scrutiny ever since she first walked the earth as a human. She decided to humour them for a while and leave when it was the time. Although the new traits she possessed meant she needed to abide by social norms, at the core she still was a calculating killer. She would stay, learn more about humans, and who knows, maybe her ultimate wishes would change under the influence of many colourful personalities here.

She was already aware of the fact that humans were capable of deliberate cruelty, but surely there was more to mankind than Elise had told her. Friendship bloomed on the Summoner’s Rift; even if Zyra suspected she would never make lasting bonds, it was rewarding to watch other summoners find unlikely allies in one another.

***

Before she went to answer the call of battle, her stare lingered on a neatly trimmed hedge. The power of every summoner was significantly dampened in the League premises. Zyra partially understood that; she herself couldn’t walk a mile without fantasising about spreading rampant growth throughout her surroundings, vines choking life out of every creature that would dare encroach on their territory. Thus, the Rift was the only place she was able to fully unleash her magic and did so with pleasure.

She raised from the bench and went inside, directing her attention to the commotion in the middle of the great hall. Two teams of five players each were forming and champions from all across Valoran were arguing what combination would work best. It was mostly pointless, for the picks were always imposed from above, but the summoners liked to bicker.

Zyra tuned out the noise and detected two voices nearby.

“Gosh, if I ever have to protect his silly ass again…”

“I know, right? What a bunch of weirdos.”

Ahri and Evelynn used to hate each other with passion, yet it turned out that they both appreciate mutual rivalry, and so they ended up as inseparable friends. _Inseparable? More like insufferable_ , Zyra thought.

Everyone respectfully fell silent when a hooded figure emerged on a small podium in the centre of the hall. The aging sage unbuckled the scroll they carried and announced in a solemn tone. “Leona and Varus against Zyra and Jhin.”

Well, that was too bad. Leona, warrior of the sun, hailed from Mount Targon and respected nature, a factor the lady of thorns found of utmost importance. Power of the sun coursed through the woman and Zyra had to keep herself from turning her face towards the source of warmth every time Leona passed by. Varus, on the other hand… She didn’t know much about the archer, apart from the fact that she was immensely attracted to him.

Despite his slightly slouched posture, he radiated confidence and moved with deadly grace worthy of an apex predator. His face was too perfect and symmetrical to be wholly human and indeed, his pupil-less eyes glared white. A mane of faded hair framed his features and cascaded down his shoulders. His body was marred with a progressing corruption, the perception of which hurt the eye and the brain. He wielded an equally aesthetically unappealing bow, which appeared to be merged with his hand. He fiddled absently with a simple talisman on his neck. Zyra should have been repulsed by this aberration; however, she felt the strength of a gravitational pull towards him.

Jhin adjusted his mask nervously and mumbled something about carnage and flowers. A fellow champion patted him on the back with a reassuring “Don’t worry, you’re edgy enough”, to which Zyra’s duo perked up a little and cocked his rifle on his shoulder.

***

With a sharp whistle signal, they left the base and went deeper into the jungle. Jhin kept chanting to himself in an unnerving whisper, but Zyra was already too much in her fighting stance to pay him her mind. She didn’t understand why anyone would deem him strange, anyway. In her world, plants of most vibrant colours lured prey straight into their waiting grasp. To her, being different than others was definitely an asset if it assured survival.

On their way to assume positions, she thought about strategy. She wasn’t keen on fighting Leona for many reasons; Leona was trained to die for the cause and would probably defend Varus till her last breath. Zyra killed only for a thrill or nourishment, so she didn’t understand such conviction. Something was different that day, though. Apart from her lust for battle, she wanted to impress Varus. When she had inquired to Elise why she would feel this way, the only response her friend had offered was an enigmatic smile.

They heard shuffling and clinking of armour as the enemy duo positioned themselves in the safe distance. For a couple of minutes they just circled each other, biding their time like predators waiting to close in for the kill. Someone was bound to make a mistake at some point; Zyra wanted to ensure that her foot wouldn’t be the one to slip.

She noticed Leona body-block Varus after the protector incorrectly predicted an attack. Zyra identified the look of mild exasperation on the marksman’s face, but otherwise he hid his impressions well. She perceived this as a perfect window for an engage and invoked her magic to snare Varus. The ground cracked and vines erupted from the soil, seeking their target with a keening, animalistic sound. The archer raised his bow in the air and released a hail of arrows on the vines before they managed to reach his torso. They immediately shrunk away, giving him an opportunity to escape the grip.

However, she miscalculated how long it would take them to collect themselves. In a blink, Leona was on top of her, bashing her with full strength. Zyra snarled in response, feeling as her new body started to get dizzy. She wouldn’t be able to get out in time. She wouldn’t fall this easily, though, not today. She screamed a warning to Jhin, hoping that he would follow up. She risked only one glance in his direction and then she was dragged into fight.

As much as Jhin was shunned by some, no one could deny that he was an excellent marksman. While the enemies were focused on Zyra, he used the distraction to find a favourable spot. When she chanced a look at him, she saw him slumped over his rifle and choosing his target meticulously. Zyra jumped as his bullet, meant for Varus’ chest, swished near her ear. A hologram shield appeared, but the enemy archer still bounded from the sheer force. With Jhin’s pressure, he and Leona were forced to retreat.

Zyra smirked as she felt the adrenaline thunder through her body. She kept her arms ramrod straight and released a lash from each hand, rooting herself in place. Pulling the vines out of the ground required some strength, after all. She straightened her back and yelled “This land is mine!” as spirals of vines spiked from the ground underfoot of Leona and Varus.

Almost assured of the victory, Zyra resolved to chase down her opponents’ fleeing forms. She didn’t expect the archer to turn around, nor did she predict the blow that followed right after. Her ribcage rattled and in a daze she looked down, only to see the glimpse of a red arrow disappearing from view. Right before she collapsed, she caught sight of two attentive eyes riveted on her. A blaring horn rang out, signalling hers and Jhin’s defeat.

***

She woke up in a foyer dedicated to post-match discussions and winced from the pain in her side. She squinted at her surroundings, willing her swimming vision to adjust, and spotted Jhin in front of a full-length mirror. She opened her mouth to thank him for waiting, yet the moment she found her voice, he fixed her with a hostile glare.

“Nice match, though what was that stunt about? You ruined my performance.”

Zyra furrowed her brows. It took a while for the events prior her blackout to flood in her mind, but once they did, they left her thoroughly mortified. Perhaps that outburst earlier was a bit too much. If she made a fool of herself in her first game against Varus, she had no idea how humans were able to live with embarrassment daily. She inwardly cringed. If the match was with anyone else, she wouldn’t break a sweat unless someone was burning down a forest.

In low spirits, she exited the lobby and headed to the only place that could cheer her up. She flinched at the sound of two voices; she wasn’t ready for any kind of confrontation, especially since Jhin just berated her. She didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but instinctively she dived for a nearest column and observed from its shade.

Before Varus stood a slender female figure, cloaked entirely by constantly shifting shadows.

“…Choking, huh? Whatever does it for you.” Evelynn seemed almost bored. _Well, if anyone in the League gets some action, that definitely is Eve_ , Zyra thought in grim amusement.

She attributed this sudden resentment towards the woman to her foul mood, yet something told her there was more at play here. What exactly was this new reaction? It felt acidic, the mixture of scorn, bitterness, and anger. She clenched her jaw; she didn’t want to think about it, but her uncooperative mind already suggested her the answer she wanted to deny. _Jealousy._

She remembered the first time Elise said how easy it was to manipulate others because of their emotions. Zyra recalled herself thinking that it was almost disrespectful that people associated jealousy with green, the colour she had come to know as a symbol of growth and renewal.

As soon as she saw Evelynn move, she decided to leave immediately. Making sure that nobody had seen her, she resumed her stroll to the garden, intending to make her step as slow and measured as it could get. Before she was able to walk any further, however, a husky voice spoke from behind her.

“Hadn’t it been for your moment of hesitation, you surely would have got us there.”

She whirled around, intending to glower suspiciously at whoever dared intrude on her while she was in a compromising position.

Zyra wasn’t sure if she even had a heart, but if she had, it would have started pounding furiously at the sight of the archer. Did he know that she just spied on him?

“What are you doing?” She didn’t keep the accusation out of her tone.

Much to Elise’s dismay, Zyra didn’t really go out of her way to learn customary pleasantries. Now certainly wasn’t the time for chitchat.

“I’m going to the garden. I thought I could use some fresh air.”

“Uh, okay…” She didn’t know whether she would regain her composure soon enough. Still, she managed to choke out a few more words so that they wouldn’t lapse into awkward silence. “Actually, that’s where I’m headed, too. I’m not feeling very well.”

“I guessed as much. I was going to ask you how you deal with interiors, if you don’t mind. Something tells me that you belong outside.” Varus chuckled to himself when he realised how that sounded.

Zyra was relieved that he also was the direct type, but she was even more surprised that he wanted to learn anything about her. On her way to the garden, now in a slightly better shape and no longer alone, she imagined Elise’s satisfied smirk.

***

Zyra watched in growing frustration as a stray vine emerged from behind a bench and began creeping its way up Varus’ arm. She hoped he wouldn’t notice, and if he did, then hopefully he wouldn’t associate this quirk with her.

Her eyes roamed his body, yet his bow was nowhere to be seen. How exactly would he dispose of the weapon? It didn’t belong on any rack, considering how it dripped with ichor and was in perpetual flux.

“To be honest, I didn’t expect you to be such a formidable opponent. Like I said, you would have won if you hadn’t hesitated.”

Overwhelmed by all the unanticipated attention, she decided to ignore the fact that he confessed to having underestimated her. What moment of hesitation was he talking about? Zyra scanned her memory of the match… Ah, there it was.

She relived Varus aiming carefully at her, his concentration betrayed by his slightly shut non-dominant eye. He pulled back the bowstring and his bow opened with a sickening squelch, releasing an impactful arrow. Indeed, she had been frozen in place, mesmerised by the unnatural motion.

She became aware of one more thing, too. She now knew why she was so fascinated by him; his corruption, albeit still a corruption, seemed to be organic and breathing. She didn’t encounter anything quite like this in the Institute, and could feel her curious instincts awaken at this novelty, tingling with excitement.

Little did she know that her ferocity in battle caught his eye as well.

Perhaps, in the end, she would grow to welcome the company of others.

**Author's Note:**

> Uh-oh. This was supposed to be a crackish one-shot about Zyra pining over Varus, but evolved into pointless rambling instead. Thanks for reading!


End file.
